isanbirder Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 This morning, for the second time, as I was walking through the rice-fields, I saw an unidentified mammal cross the bund in front of me. Long-bodied, like a weasel (not a rat), about 15 inches long excluding any tail (this is a wild guess!), sandy-brown in colour. On the previous occasion, the mammal stood up ( like a weasel does)to have a look around. Does anybody know what they might be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazman Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Iwould say they would be lucky. That they haven’t been eaten to extinction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farma Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Possibly a mongoose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) There are species of weasels here in SE Asia (e.g. mountain weasels), I once saw something similar to a martin, which had been killed by a villager, this would fit your observation. Edited March 19, 2010 by canuckamuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinavet Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Charles M. Francis book Mammals of Thailand & S.E. Asia would indicate not many choices to your description. A Javan Mongoose seems like the best bet because it eats rats, birds, eggs, insects and reptiles. A Yellow-Throated Marten is the next outside possibility.. I'm amazed to find there are more than rats and squirrels in our area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenubon Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 i have seen what seems to be the same animal, a number of times running across the road. this is just out side our village in the national park, but i know people here would shoot it on sight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 i have seen what seems to be the same animal, a number of times running across the road. this is just out side our village in the national park, but i know people here would shoot it on sight! That is true, when we saw the Marten type animal my wife told my that they were hated, particularly because they feed on chickens. They are known to be vicious, which is true of most of the weasel family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nignoy Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 i have seen what seems to be the same animal, a number of times running across the road. this is just out side our village in the national park, but i know people here would shoot it on sight! That is true, when we saw the Marten type animal my wife told my that they were hated, particularly because they feed on chickens. They are known to be vicious, which is true of most of the weasel family. Could also be the lesser yellow throated wigan supporter , commonly seen skulking around the meat and potato pie fields after sunrise , also been known to sneak into warrington at night and plunder Kebab shop bins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 I think they were probably mongooses (unfortunately mongeese, which would be much nicer, is wrong); this was my first thought, but I wasn't sure they occurred here. I showed a picture to several locals (this is in Buriram), and they said yes, they had them here; this is not the best evidence, as people tend to say that if they think that's what you want them to say! They are, of course, highly beneficial animals; they eat snakes and rats for preference (though I suppose a nice chicken wouldn't come amiss). Previous to this, the last time I saw one was on TV. It was running round the outfield in an international cricket match somewhere in India! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the Dude Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 I have seen simular running across the roads around Surin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prajak Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 How do you know it was a mammal ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartender100 Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Coypu?, eaten to extinction in Norfolk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 How do you know it was a mammal ? What else could it have been? Scotch mist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Coypu?, eaten to extinction in Norfolk No coypu here (the wrong shape anyway). Glad to hear they're extinct in Norfolk; they didn't belong there anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the Dude Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 How do you know it was a mammal ? have you a better suggestion,then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 How do you know it was a mammal ? have you a better suggestion,then You're so much more polite than me, Dave! (I never know what the emoticons mean) I did, very briefly, consider a monitor lizard, but they don't stand up on their hind legs! apart from being the wrong shape and moving differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
track61 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 "How do you know it was a mammal ? " It was whacking off. Quite a feat whilst running cross the bund, only a mammal could do that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticBhoy Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Forget the mammal, just tell me what a 'bund' is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Forget the mammal, just tell me what a 'bund' is. A raised walkway or embankment between two fields/ponds; in this case it was wide enough to be a motorable track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the Dude Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 How do you know it was a mammal ? have you a better suggestion,then You're so much more polite than me, Dave! (I never know what the emoticons mean) I did, very briefly, consider a monitor lizard, but they don't stand up on their hind legs! apart from being the wrong shape and moving differently. But I do have my moments, IB. What I have seen is covered with dark hair, so I think(assume) that rules out lizards. Maybe it was a gremlin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave30 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 A ' retired ' Bar Girl returning home to tend to her sick buffalo's ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Maybe it was a gremlin? Like almost everything else in Thailand, it was a 'pi'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 They are almost without doubt Javan mongooses. They feed on aquatic animals like frogs, lizards and crabs that are found in paddy fields and the irrigation ditches around them. They are a common sight in rice fields throughout SE Asia and beyond. Yellow-throated martens are considerably bigger and usually only seen in relatively undisturbed environments e.g. Kaeng Krajan. You can discount these. Mammals are difficult to see in Thailand due to hunting, the dense vegetation and the fact that most species are nocturnal. I would put a large wager on Javan mongooses as they are diurnal and prefer more open habitats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 (edited) I came to this conclusion several posts ago (before we all started getting frivolous). It's nice to have somebody who seems to know something about it agreeing with me. But not a common sight here. I'm out walking through the rice fields for a couple of hours virtually every morning before it gets too hot, and I've only seen two in 18 months. They must be having a hard time these days, as there's very little vegetation left, and the irrigation ditches are almost all dried up. Edited March 21, 2010 by isanbirder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 How do you know it was a mammal ? perhaps it had tits and nipples? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thommo46 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Forget the mammal, just tell me what a 'bund' is. A bund is a dyke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticBhoy Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Forget the mammal, just tell me what a 'bund' is. A bund is a dyke. Is it Aussie slang, coz I never heard it before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanbirder Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 Is it Aussie slang, coz I never heard it before? No, bund is originally an Indian word, Hindi, I think. I learnt it when we used to go birdwatching on the marshes in Hong Kong, and we walked along these embankments which we called bunds... so I automatically used it for the ricefield dividers here. What do you call them? (Dike/dyke normally means the ditch rather than the earth cast up to dig it, though it can mean either). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticBhoy Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 ^ I think I would call it an 'embankment'. But I'm going to enjoy using 'bund' now. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellagrego Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 That would be called "LUNCH". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now